Professor Aida Stepanyan of the State Agrarian University of Armenia explains local fruit varieties. After a long period in which many varieties were abandoned in favour of a few high-yielding ones, today there is increasing awareness that diversification contributes to resilience to climatic and economic fluctuations and enables small farmers to reach the markets with their products (AR)

Shamam melon, grapes and raisins at a market in Mashtot. The Southern Caucasus is considered a centre of origin of the grapevine.
Diversity of landraces/farmer varieties has been declining, however many local varieties can still be found in family gardens (AR)

The creation and proper management of natural reserves are fundamental for the preservation of endangered species, such as the Persian gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) protected in the Sirvan Milli Park (AZ)

In order to survive in harsh environments, people must have an individual and collective commitment to use natural resources, including lakes and rivers, without jeopardizing biodiversity and ecosystem balance, avoiding wastes and pollution (AZ)

Local animals are well suited to grazing on natural grasslands. To limit the state of degradation of many grasslands, appropriate policies must urgently be developed and pastoralists will need to be increasingly involved in maintenance of locally adapted genetic resources. In addition, animal stocking rates will have to be adjusted to the productive potential of grasslands (AZ)

Pistachio fruit (Pistacia vera L.). The pistachio tree is often used in reforestation programmes thanks to its capacity of growing in poor soils. A few multicentenary trees of Pistacia mutica, an ancestor of pistachio, can still be found in Southern Caucasus, but are at risk of extinction (AZ)

The Caucasus is characterized by a complex, sometimes mosaic, spatial structure of biological communities, representing different biogeographic zones. The optimal way to protect Caucasian biodiversity is to pay particular attention to this factor, since its most important feature is the constant interaction of local, west Asian and eastern European communities (AZ)

Professor Tortladze and Tamara, daughter of professor Kartvelishvili, at the Georgian Zootechnical-Veterinary University. Many of the scientific educational tools have been preserved thanks to the university staff who protected them from vandalism during the civil war (GE)

Marzio Marzot is a photographer and specialist in audio-visual communications. For more then 20 years he has worked worldwide, principally for FAO and other international coorporation agencies, providing photographic services, training courses, video and CD-ROM programs, including the soundtrack and musical scores. On Africa, he has been published in various leading italian magazines, in addition to participating in the creation of numerous documentaries and in exibitions. Some on his publications include Capo Verde: una storia lunga dieci isole; I figli del mondo; for Asem, on street chlidren in Mozambique; Giocattoli di là del mare, for UNICEF; La Cina e un aquilone, for Kenzi/Comune di Firenze (Council of Florence); Cartoville: Rome, for Gallimard; Environment and development in the Mediterranan and The future is an ancient lake, for FAO, now also avaliable in French and Italian; L'albero del corvo e del gabbiano, by B. Hofmann, stories from Mozambique. In Italy he works on anthropologic and social photograhy, and today, above all, on cultural exchange.